The sad news has reached us that one of his generation’s most iconic and influential musicians has passed away. the private man that was Alasdair Mackie “Algy” Ward is thought to have passed away in Hospital last Wednesday after a long illness. His contribution to music should never be underestimated. Having played with the iconic Australian punk rockers The Saints when he played on their single in 77 ‘This Perfect Day’ and also playing on the classic ‘Eternally Yours’ and its follow-up album before being replaced in the band it was in 79 he joined the mighty Damned.

Ward played on their iconic, classic post-James era album ‘Machine Gun Etiquette’. His formidable bass line intro on ‘Love Song’ cemented the album as many fans’ favourite thanks in no small part to his driving, take no prisoners, sound that fit in with the band’s MO at the time. Wards Lemmy-inspired attack made the album’s core sound and the second phase of the band’s many different genre-changing periods. His time however, didn’t last too long after internal wranglings and The Damned being The Damned, Algy left and went on to form the much underrated NWOBHM bands, Tank.

Tank was at the sharp end of NWOBHM and in 82 they released their iconic album ‘Filth Hounds of Hades’ again the band went through many lineup changes but did manage to make five albums of metal/punk but due to a lack of commercial success and the old faithful internal disputes then band fell apart and by the end of the 80s Algy wasn’t seen or heard of performing until the late 90s when he reformed Tank with Bruce Bisland on drums, and Tucker and Evans on guitars when they released one more LP ‘Still At War’ (of course they were) the band limped on into the naughties making several albums before Ward teamed up with fellow metal/punk legend Evo to record an EP ‘Damned Unto Death’ then his final record was released in 2018 the eighth studio album ‘Sturmpanzer’ and so it was done.

Rest In Peace Algy, that iconic intro on ‘Love Song’ will forever be etched into my brain where Algy with his leather jacket, cheeky grin and thumpingly effortlessly cool bass line led the way on one of the best albums ever made on this spinning rock. Alasdair Mackie “Algy” Ward your work here is done may you rest in peace.